The Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VDDHH) works to reduce communication barriers for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families and the professionals who serve them. VDDHH is seeking a qualified candidate to provide administrative and technical support to the Department’s Technology, Outreach, and Interpreter Services programs.

The position serves as the principal point of contact for all VDDHH programs by providing quality customer service through information and referral activities including but not limited to: responding to telephone calls, walk-in consumers, and electronic media as well as maintaining a log of all referrals. This position provides technical support to the VDDHH TAP/L20 equipment distribution program and the Virginia Relay service including but not limited to: demonstration of assistive devices, installation and testing of audio loops, and participation in equipment focus groups. Provides general administrative support to the VDDHH ISP and VQAS programs including but not limited to assisting candidates with testing registration, cataloging and dissemination of candidate testing and results, and updating on-line testing calendars and directories. Data entry into various databases. Provides support to VDDHH management staff for Department Board, Council, and special meetings.

Minimum Qualifications

*Demonstrated skills in providing quality customer service
*Demonstrated skills in the use of text telephone (TTY) and multi-line phone system
*Computer software skills (MS Office, database)
*Good problem solving and organizational skills
*Demonstrated ability to apply established policies and procedures to situations and follow supervisor’s instructions
*Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with individuals from varying social and economic environments.
*Effective verbal and written communication with diverse agency customers
*Previous experience and proficiency in utilizing and managing social media (Facebook, Twitter) and website updates
*Previous experience working with the public and in area of human services and/or program support
*High school graduate or equivalent applicable experience or training

Preferred Qualifications

*Demonstrated knowledge of social, economic, and psychological issues which impact persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, and speech disabled as it relates to communication access
*Sign language skills and ability to effectively communicate with persons with a hearing loss are highly desired.

Special Requirements

Special Instructions to Applicants

The Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing ONLY accepts FULLY completed online applications for all employment opportunities. Please do not refer to “See Resume” on your application; otherwise, it will be considered incomplete.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. Contact 804-726-1919 for assistance. Minorities, people with disabilities, Veterans, and people with National Service are encouraged to apply. EEO/AA/TTY.

In the West Wing of the White House, Leah Katz-Hernandez communicates with the first couple in a way that few others, even the president’s most trusted advisers, ever do.

Katz-Hernandez, who is deaf, is the new receptionist of the United States, or what those in Washington like to abbreviate as ROTUS (a play on POTUS – president of the United States). She grew bicoastal, raised by a Jewish mother and a Mexican-American father in Connecticut, frequently visiting her father’s family in California.

After working in the Chicago headquarters of Obama’s re-election campaign, she moved to Washington, D.C., and was hired as an assistant in the first lady’s office.

“It was my first week on the job,” Katz-Hernandez, 27, told Fox News Latino. “I was having lunch at my desk when a staffer from the West Wing came by and said, ‘I want to introduce you to the First Lady.’ The next thing I know the First Lady is standing in front of me. She said, ‘Hi, my name is…’ and then she finger-spelled her name. It was really a wonderful moment. I knew I’d arrived in a great place and felt really motivated to work hard for her.”

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